on Livestock Guardian Dogs and small farm life…

Llamas, Donkeys and Other Strange Things in the Pasture.

There are few subjects that get me going quite as much as when people deign to tell others what they should and shouldn’t be using for protection of their stock. This is especially true if what they are using has been proven to work. I’m not referring to a choice of this dog vs. that dog, but instead to the popularity of making blanket statements about the appropriateness of using donkeys, llamas or even other inanimate predator deterrents.

I’m about to say something that is WAY out there, so brace yourselves.

Livestock Guardian Dogs are not the only right choice for producers, nor are they even always THE right choice.

I find that many threads on social media start with a post that is rather inflammatory; let’s use for example a recent one that shows a donkey who was mauled. Given that I am seriously opposed to pain porn, I’ll spare you the pictures. Suffice it to say that this poor creature, likely a miniature donkey, went through a horrible ordeal. Someone thought it would be brilliant to take pictures of him in his ripped up state and post them with a broad warning against using donkeys as livestock protection animals. Since many people in dogs really love a post that allows them to display their confirmation bias, commenter after commenter leapt to their keyboards to add their supportive opinions. The possibility that the donkey in question may have been mismatched to the situation he was in didn’t enter the conversation for some time and then was summarily dismissed.

Since I know producers who use donkeys successfully, I was a little disturbed about the rabid direction the thread took. I’m even more concerned now that I’ve commented rationally and been tossed up for not holding to the “LGD always and only” rule. The fact that I was completely unaware of this unwritten pact between Livestock Guardian Dog owners is irrelevant. No matter, as I would not have signed on had I known.

Photo credit: Steve Hipps

The fact remains that producers in North America use donkeys and llamas for protection. They don’t do so at the same rate of LGD use; however, since only 45% of producers use any kind of Livestock Protection Animal, their usage is significant. What does it serve us to ignore this or, worse, to minimize and degrade their contributions?

I say again:

Livestock Guardian Dogs are not the only right choice for producers, nor are they even always THE right choice.

The simple fact of the matter is that we have livestock in extremely variable environments. We have them in small pens in highly populated areas, and we have them on ranges far from civilization. We have them in desert climates and on lush mountains. We keep them in large numbers of their own kind and in small numbers with others. We keep them locked up in the same area all their lives and we move them around during that same time span. It makes no sense that we would need the same protection in all of those scenarios.

sfvfoundation.org

I’m afraid that once someone is not willing to look at their preferred method of predator protection objectively, their advice becomes biased and consequently, not as valuable for research purposes. It’s natural that we all become slightly slanted towards what we prefer; if we cannot see why that bias occurs and acknowledge its presence, we have become dictators and not effective advocates. I personally cannot see a scenario where I would choose to use a llama or donkey over a dog as a guardian for my sheep, but indeed that says more about my love for my dogs than it does about the effectiveness of other protection animals.

In that spirit, here are some points about LGDs that may preclude them as a viable choice.

They bark – a LOT. This is their primary method of defense.

They are comparatively expensive to feed.

They often require extensive fencing.

They need to be dewormed routinely or risk infecting the stock with C. Ovis (tapeworms).

They can be more aggressive to human visitors than desired.

They have heightened exercise requirements when young and cannot be kept in small pens all their lives.

They require training.

They can have a desire to roam. (see point about fencing)

Those points aside, I believe that dogs are at least a part of the right choice for most producers. They can be used in combination with flandry, electric fencing, lights, patrolling, night penning/confinement, rotational grazing, strategic hunting and yes, even llamas and donkeys. If any of these are enough on their own or in combination apart from the LGDs, then that is appropriate as well. The objects of protection work are to keep the predators at bay and to keep the livestock alive, not to ensure that a pack of dogs resides in every pasture.

***For additional reading on utilizing donkeys and llamas in the role of guardian animals, follow the the links below.

2 thoughts on “Llamas, Donkeys and Other Strange Things in the Pasture.”

Great post!!
Although I chose to use an LGD because of the smaller size (I don’t have large enough space for donkeys or llamas at this time), llamas and donkeys are certainly viable options, especially in the majority of the country where the primary predators are coyotes and dogs.

The only places I could see a llama or donkey NOT being effective where an LGD will is in areas with serious large predator (mountain lion, bear, or wolves) problems. That assumes, of course, that you chose a llama or donkey who has a will to guard and is large enough to be effective. Those who put a mini donkey or an alpaca in with the stock in an area with high amounts of coyotes/dogs are doing no good, and may just be sacrificing a potentially large investment.

I would think you would get the best results in using LGDs, llamas, and donkeys in combinations, that way you have a wider coverage of protection. For example, a team of LGDs can ward off larger predators like cougar, bear, etc; while a llama or donkey can run faster than an LGD to respond to smaller canine threats.

Great points, Liberty Farm. I hope that this post will help people to think of all of their options either before they set up their defenses or when reconsidering their previous choices. Always great to hear from you!